Thanks, again, to each of you who took the time to answer my brief and anonymous survey about what you want from this blog and (soon-coming) podcast. I am truly grateful to be in community with people who are so in-touch with themselves.Some of you expressed interest in the responses. So below I'm sharing a few of the most common answers to the fill-in questions. I do this not only to honor your curiosity, but also to melt some of the isolation we live with. Please pay close attention to how you feel when you read these answers:What QUESTIONS would you like me to answer on my blog/podcast?

"How to stay true to oneself?"

"How do you manage the daily challenges of being a sensitive, awake and highly creative soul in this world?"

"How to use my empathy and sensitivity gifts in the world."

"what's the next step at my age"

"When/How should one make career moves"

"How do I get and stay both true and whole? How do I find inner and outer support for creating sustainable income"

Please describe your greatest pain AT HOME.

"Presence with my children"

"never being satisfied"

"Isolation."

"The interruptions of my deep-focus time by the loved one/s I live with."

"Not feeling fully expressed in my brilliance."

"My greatest pain at home is having to coexist with other people. My spouse is unbelievably challenging and I find myself constantly falling into daydreams of being single where I enjoy vast amounts of solitude, space, and time to sort through my thoughts."

Please describe your greatest pain AT WORK.

"Being true to myself"

"Working for an ineffective leader"

"No longer applicable, yet when I did, my greatest pain was knowing the only thing worthwhile about my job was connecting to other people. I also loathe the concept of needing money."

"Financial inadequacy, inability to have the passion and purpose match the physical rewards/returns"

"not having a job"

"Having to totally (or so it feels) invent ways to make a living that both work with my HSP needs (which include working with meaning and being of service from my best, most joyful skills) and bring in enough money."

Please describe your greatest pain WITHIN YOU.

"Regrets about the past"

" Trauma. Guilt. Shame. Ignorance to truth because I was slighted useful knowledge in my youth. Fear. Fear that I don't have time to clean my slate and fill my plate. (And share my leftovers)"

"fear of failing myself and others"

"Loss and loneliness in a world full of people separating themselves from each other due to deep loss and loneliness."

"HEARTBROKEN"

"Not feeling I'm nearly close to what I came here to do.... and not feeling clear about what that is!"

Did any of the answers above resemble your own? If so, what do you think you might want to do with that sense of shared humanity... now knowing that you are not alone... that your fears and pains are shared by many others? By answering in the comment section below, you give someone else -- another reader -- the gift you just received. See how it goes round and round?Risking "TMI" also opens us to the possibility of "TLC." Okay, let's hear from YOU now.________________________________________________________________________________________P.S. The survey is now closed, but I am always interested to know what topics and information you feel in need of. Please toss those requests in the comments, too.

Touched and inspired by these shared and oh-so-familiar wishes/longings/courageous sorrows, and dreams. What wonderful people you (we) all are, the deep thoughtfulness, high aspirations and bravery to both know and share these things. Thank you!

Am so happy that you resonate, Deborah! The answers, and brave souls behind them, have greatly moved me, too. Thanks for sharing your voice. XO

Reply

Jessica

1/15/2014 12:51:15 am

I just want to learn how to block negative energy from debilitating me for hours and even days at a time. I feel like this effects my life daily. For example, work, school, friends and family. The way it effects me at work for example is because I am a teacher the school is always filled with people, kids I can handle, adults not so much. They give so much energy off that it drains me. Same thing with school (college). With Friends it's hard because I can't go out to places that are too crowded. I get too over whelmed. Only my husband understands what I go through other than that I feel awkward and all alone most of the time. So how can I learn to get a handle on not letting the negative energy into me so it doesn't effect me so badly?

Jessica, I'm sorry that you are experiencing this! I understand, and face similar social/energetic challenges. There are many empowering techniques available to us. The first, and most effective, is making peace with what you need. During the school-day, give yourself solitude breaks to re-energize (even if it's in your car, or an empty classroom). With friends, pro-actively suggest less crowded venues. Just as your husband learned to come alongside you, others who care for you will also *want* to honor what you need, if you can take the responsibility for gently educating them.

There are also many teachings about energetically grounding and shielding. And I used to do those things very diligently, until I found them tedious and burdensome. So, the second most effective thing I suggest -- after making peace with what you need, and speaking truthfully about it -- is this: emit love. In the loud, crowded hallways... in the teacher's lounge... cafeteria... when you most want to retreat to the hills and flee from all people, instead, spray love. With or without eye contact, simply decide/intend: "I fill this room with the felt softness of love. I send and project love to that person, and him, and her." Jessica, there is nothing more powerful than this. The only downside to it is that it seems too easy/simple to really work. But please, just try. Whether you're a visual person or not, it doesn't matter. Just decide, in those draining instances, that you will fill the place with the perfect and incorruptible energy of love and two things will happen: (1) you will become impenetrable to whatever negativity may be around; and (2) you will become strong and vital, because you fill yourself of the same thing you send to others.

This certainly isn't exhaustive. I will be sure to speak/write more about this topic, but I hope this reply offers you at least a little relief.

Take good care of yourself, Jessica, and thanks so much for commenting.